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United States Navy (Napoleon's Legacy Universe)
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is generally regarded as the leading navy of the world, althought it is somewhat smaller than its Russian Imperial counterpart. This numerical disparity, however, is in the process of being remedied by President Clariston's so-called "Millenial Fleet Project" - an accelerated building programme to expand the U.S. Navy to 1,000 surface warfare vessels. (It is worth noting that in real life, at its greatest size in 1944, the United States navy fielded approximately 800 surface warfare vessels). Strength Capital Ships Battleships Montana-class Battleship (BB) x 12 (5 completed, 4 under construction, 3 keels laid down) Iowa-class Battleship (BBC) x 24 (18 completed, 6 under construction) North Carolina-class Battleship (BBC) x 12 (12 completed) *Note: "BBC" hull classification symbol retroactively applied to Iowa- & North Carolina-class Battleships to distinguish them from the much larger and more traditional Montana-class. "BBC" denotes the status of the Iowas and North Carolinas as "Fast Battleships", and is derived from the "CC" classification symbol for Battlecruisers. *Note: so-called "Fast Battleships" function as a kind of compromise between traditional heavy battleship designs and the lighter but faster Battlecruisers. They pack the same cannons as normal battleships but trade some of their armor for speed. The U.S. Navy's official distinction for "BBC" / "Fast Battleship" is a Battleship which is not armored to withstand the strength of its own guns. Battlecruisers Philippines-class Battlecruiser (CC) x 12 (9 built, 3 under construction) Cuba-class Battlecruiser (CC) x 12 (12 completed) Carriers Forrestal-class Large Fleet Carrier (CVB) x 6 (1 completed, 1 under construction, 1 keel laid down, 3 planned) United States-class Attack Carrier (CVA) x 4 (3 completed, 1 under construction) Midway-class Fleet Carrier (CV) x 12 (10 completed, 2 under construction) Essex-class Fleet Carrier (CV) x 32 (32 completed) *Note: 25 Essexes are currently in service or undergoing modernization refits. The first 11 to be laid down, (CV-09, CV-10, CV-11, CV-12, CV-13, CV-16, CV-17, CV-18, CV-20 & CV-31) are presently being rebuilt to conform to the "Long Hull" modification standards of later carriers and are in various states of completion *Note: the Forrestal- and United States-class carriers can be considered Supercarriers because of their size. Their length and displacements are roughly the same, but they fufill different roles. The Forrestals are large fleet carriers with a conventional - albiet unusually large - air wing, while the United States-class carriers are intended as mobile strategic attack bases for American bombers (hence the CVA, "Aircraft Carrier, Attack" designation). Cruisers & Light Warships Light Carriers Guam-class Light Carrier (CVL) x 12 (4 under construction, 2 keels laid down, 6 planned) Pearl Harbor-class Light Carrier (CVL) x 16 (16 completed) *Note: designated "Saipan-class" in real life. Name changed because the Battle of Saipan never happened in this universe. Independence-class Light Carrier (CVL) x 10 (10 completed) Escort Carriers Commencement Bay-class Escort Carrier (CVE) x 33 (33 completed) Casablanca-class Escort Carrier (CVE) x 50 (50 completed) Charger-class Escort Carrier (CVE) x 4 (4 completed, in reserve) Long Island-class Escort Carrier (CVE) x 2 (2 completed, in reserve) Sangamon-class Escort Carrier (CVE) x 4 (4 completed, in reserve) *Note: The Charger-, Long Island- & Sangamon-class Escort Carriers are slated to be scrapped in 1962. Amphibious Assault Ships Puerto Rico-class Amphibious Assault Ship x 10 (1 completed, 2 under construction, 1 keel laid down, 6 planned) *Note: designated Iwo Jima-class Amphibious Assault Ship in real life. Nme changed because the Battle of Iwo Jima never happened in this universe. Cruisers Note: see "Large Cruiser" section below for details Honduras-class Large Cruiser (CB) x 24 (12 completed, 6 under construction, 6 planned) *Note: named for the overseas territory of American Honduras (formerly British Honduras prior to 1945). This corrisponds to what is, in our world, the country Belize, rather than to the independent nation of Honduras (Belize, in real life, being an overseas possession of the U.K. called "British Honduras" prior to its independence in 1981). Alaska B-class Large Cruiser (CB) x 24 (24 completed) *Note: re-design of the Alaska-class to correct the many flaws of the original Alaska A-class Large Cruiser (CB) x 6 (6 completed, in reserve) *Note: not currently in active service due to design shortcomings Durant-class Large Anti-Aircraft Cruiser (CBAA) x 12 (12 completed) *Note: modified "Alaska B" design with even more focus on anti-aircraft capabilities Montréal-class Heavy Cruiser (CA) x 24 (4 completed, 6 under construction, 14 planned) Des Moines-class Heavy Cruiser (CA) x 24 (24 completed) Oregon City-class Heavy Cruiser (CA) x 10 (10 completed) Baltimore-class Heavy Cruiser (CA) x 14 (14 completed) Worcester-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 36 (12 completed, 8 under construction, 6 planned) Juneau-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 36 (12 completed, 8 under construction, 6 planned) Fargo-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 13 (13 completed) Cleveland-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 42 (52 completed, 10 converted to Independence-class CVLs) Atlanta-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 12 (12 completed) St. Louis-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 2 (2 completed) Brooklyn-class Light Cruiser (CL) x 7 (7 completed) Destroyer Leaders Spruance-class Destroyer Leader (DDL) x 50 (0 completed, 50 planned) *Note: intended to replace Farragut- & Mitscher-class DDLs Dewey-class Destroyer Leader (DDL) x 10 (10 completed) *Note: designated Farragut-class in real life. Name changed because an older model of Farragut-class destroyer is still in use (albiet in reserve) by the U.S. Navy in this timeline. Mitscher-class Destroyer Leader (DDL) x 40 (40 completed) Destroyers Forrest Sherman-class Destroyer (DD) x 600 (18 completed, 42 under construction, 18 keels laid down, 522 planned) *Note: intended to replace all previous DD designs Gearing-class Destroyer (DD) x 156 (156 completed) Allen M. Sumner-class Destroyer (DD) x 58 (58 completed) Fletcher-class Destroyer (DD) x 175 (175 completed) Gleaves-class Destroyer (DD) x 62 (62 completed) Benson-class Destroyer (DD) x 30 (30 completed) Sims-class Destroyer (DD) x 12 (12 completed) *Note that the U.S. Navy maintains a reserve force of several dozen older 1930s- / 1940s-era destroyers of the Benham, Somers, Bagley, Gridley, Mahan, Porter and Farragut classes. *The U.S. maintains a large number of Great War-era Clemson-class destroyers for various non-combat purposes. 162 of these vessels were built, making them in plentiful supply. Frigates Claud Swanson-class Patrol Frigate (PF) x 500 (325 built, 75 under construction, 100 planned) Tacoma-class Patrol Frigate (PF) x 100 (100 built) Submarines Tang-class Submarine (SS) x 300 (300 completed) Tench-class Submarine (SS) x 80 (80 completed) Balao-class Submarine (SS) x 200 (200 completed) Gato-class Submarine (SS) x 80 (80 completed) Organization The chief large-scale administrative / organizational formation of the modern U.S. Navy is the Fleet. However, somewhat confusingly, there are two types of Fleets: Named Fleets and Numbered, or Task, Fleets (usually just called "Fleets"). All U.S.N. vessels fall under the overarching jurisdiction of one of five Named Fleets. Practically speaking, however, there are only really four coherently-organized Named Fleets: Pacific Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, Asiatic Fleet and Mediterranean Fleet order of seniority, from most to least. All other vessels of the U.S. Navy not belonging to one of the other four Named Fleets nominally fall under the formal administrative jurisidiction of the so-called United States Fleet. However, unlike the other Named Fleets, the United States Fleet is not a coherent organization with a home port or defined area of responsibility: it is simply an administrative "dump" for ships belonging to the U.S.N.'s numerous smaller commands (or Stations) scattered across the globe. Command of the United States Fleet - the title of Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet or CINCUS (pronounced "sink-us") - is simply an additional position held by the Chief of Naval Operations CNO (i.e. the senior-most uniformed naval officer). Thus, the current CNO & CINUS is Fleet Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance. The other four Named Fleets of the United States Navy - Pacific, Atlantic, Asiatic, Mediterranean - are coherent organizational units, each headed by their own Commanders-in-Chief bearing the rank of Fleet Admiral. These are referred to as CINCPAC, CINCLANT, CINCAS, CINCMED ("Sink-Pack", "Sink-Lant", "Sink-As", "Sink-Med"), respectively. Theoretically, the five Commanders-in-Chief and their commands are equal, with CINCUS being superior only by dent of being tied directly to the Chief of Naval Operations. Practically speaking, however, there is a definite order of precedence among the other four Named Fleets: the Pacific Fleet & Atlantic Fleet are referred to unofficially as the "Major Fleets" and the Asiatic & Mediterranean Fleets as the "Junior Fleets". The Pacific & Atlantic Fleets are each composed of several Numbered Fleets. These are actual operational / strategic formations, comparable in function to the Field Armies of the U.S. Army. These massive Numbered Fleets follow a traditional organization scheme: capital ships are grouped into Squadrons of twelve vessels divided into three 4-ship Divisions, while Cruisers are in 4-ship Divisions (with no Squadron groupings) and smaller escort vessels (i.e. destroyers, submarines) are in Flotillas of varying size, generally 8. The Asiatic Fleet is much smaller than the other Named Fleets and contains no full-sized Numbered Fleets of its own, being divided instead into Stations. The Mediterranean Fleet contains a single Numbered Fleet - the VI Fleet - and a number of Stations. Several additional Numbered Fleets also exist independently of any of the four Named Fleets, being technically subordinate to the Fleet of the United States. The remainder of the U.S.N.'s ships are distributed among various geographic Stations. HIGH COMMAND Commander-in-Chief Charlotte Jane Clariston Secretary of War of the Army (retired) Dwight David Eisenhower (Presidential Cabinet position) Secretary of the Navy Admiral (retired) Chester William Nimitz (note: subordinate to the Secretary of War) Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance MAJOR FLEETS: Pacific Fleet (Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, United States of America) -Fleet Admiral Royal Eason Ingersoll commanding Composition: Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet Admiral Royal Eason Ingersoll I. Fleet --- Admiral Felix Budwell Stump commanding III. Fleet --- Admiral Maurice Edwin Curts commanding V. Fleet --- Admiral DeWitt Clinton Ramsey commanding VII. Fleet --- Admiral Arthur William Radford Atlantic Fleet (Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Commonwealth of Virgina, United States of America) -Fleet Admiral Donald Bradford Beary commanding Composition: Commander-in-Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet Admiral Donald Bradford Beary VIII. Fleet --- Admiral David Bostwick Carney commanding X. Fleet --- Admiral David Lamar McDonald commanding XII. Fleet --- Admiral Harold Page Smith commanding Independent Numbered Fleets: I. Fleet Ceylon --- Admiral Daniel Edward Barbey commanding IV. Fleet Florida --- Admiral Thomas Cassin Kinkaid commanding Minor Fleets: Asiatic Fleet (Naval Station Subsic Bay, Olongapo, Zambales, Philippines) -Fleet Admiral Thomas Charles Hart commanding China Station East Indies Station Australia Station Philipinne Station Marshall Islands Station Mediterranean Fleet: (Naval Station Alexandria Harbor, Alexandria, American Northwest Africa Territory, United States) -Fleet Admiral Aubrey Wray Fitch commanding VI. Fleet --- Admiral Charles Randall Brown commanding Canary Islands Station Gibraltar Station Malta Station Crete Station Mediterranean Fleet (Naval Station Alexandria Harbor, Alexandria, American Northwest Africa Territory, United States) -Fleet Admiral Aubrey Wray Fitch commanding VI. Fleet --- Admiral Charles Randall Brown commanding Canary Islands Station Gibraltar Station Malta Station Crete Station